Driving test in a van

Ronnie Beck

I'm doing the driving test on 24th of february. I have no choice financially but to do it in a van. It's a LWB VW transporter.
I have a few questions. After a heap of googling I still can't find any answers.

1. Do they ask you for a DOE cert? Mine expires tomorrow but don't have the money to do it until March. Tax expires in March also so it makes things easier.
2. Blind spot. When pulling away do I have to look over my left shoulder? I can't really see any thing more than I can see in my rear view mirror.
3. Is there any other van specific stuff I need to do like clearing everything from the back etc.

ADIDriving

It is not something that is usually listed as being a requirement, for the test. But it is a requirement for driving on the road. If they realise your cert is out of date they would not let you drive the van for your test.
You should be checking your left wing mirror, blind spot is useless.
In a van you could be asked to reverse around a corner to the right.

Ronnie Beck

ADIDriving wrote: »

It is not something that is usually listed as being a requirement, for the test. But it is a requirement for driving on the road. If they realise your cert is out of date they would not let you drive the van for your test.
You should be checking your left wing mirror, blind spot is useless.
In a van you could be asked to reverse around a corner to the right.

Thanks for the reply.
Never heard of the reversing around a corner to the right. Will I be on the wrong side of the road doing this maneuver?

Alot more visibility I suppose. More scope to judge my observation. Normally if I'm reversing turning to the left all eyes or on the left hand mirror with a foot covering the brake.

ADIDriving

Ronnie Beck wrote: »

Never heard of the reversing around a corner to the right. Will I be on the wrong side of the road doing this maneuver?

Yes. Drive past the junction on the right and parking on the right, reversing around to the right and afterwards moving off to the left.

Ronnie Beck

Passed the test today

I wasn't asked for the DOE cert.

Reading the rules of the road .pdf properly this morning it says in general you are required to have one but not in the vehicle. You may be asked by a guard to produce one in ten days at a station but that's it.

I had to reverse normally around a corner. The tester got out of the van for this. I put my hazards on while doing the maneuver.

Got a few pings for not using my left mirror. Two blues and a green. Two blues when squeezing between parked cars and the oncoming traffic stopped at the lights on a very narrow road. He said I should have been checking my rear left wheel arch as I passed though. I got another when exiting one of those mini roundabouts. Otherwise a clean slate.

ADIDriving

Well done. Keep trying to drive perfectly, safely.

Ronnie Beck

Thanks ADI, it's actually not as bad as I thought driving the official way. Got two lessons of Michael rice here in galway. One the week before and one the morning of the test. Found him very good. He does the buses, trucks, trailers etc. so was able to show and explain the spots where bigger vehicles can run into trouble, clipping curbs, not clearing a yellow box etc.

Just to note aswell that two lessons isn't enough to cover all the possible routes. 3/4 of the test route was completely new to me as I live the opposite side of the city to the test centre.

Best bits of advice i got:

I heard on here to drive like a nun watching a tennis match. If you take a tight corner or a roundabout, particularly a mini one, to quickly you wont have enough time to push and pull steer and check all your mirrors.

After you turn a corner onto a straight check your mirrors and the road ahead and accelerate smoothly up to 50km/h. This is the only time you have to give the go pedal a bit of a press in the test, for the rest of it take your sweet time.

Also never assume you've failed.
I was sure I had failed for not showing enough patience for the traffic to clear and passing to close to parked cars. I was only a foot away maybe less at times. Turned out I only got two blue faults for not checking the left mirror. I had it in my head that you had to give 1 metre clearance to parked cars so I was caught in two minds. The tester was covering the sheet for the rest of the test and I was paranoid he was covering a red mark.

CiniO

ADIDriving wrote: »

Yes. Drive past the junction on the right and parking on the right, reversing around to the right and afterwards moving off to the left.

That's probably the most stupid thing you are meant to do during the test.
If I tried doing it during my normal driving, I could probably be prosecuted for dangerous driving, while on test it's a requirement.

Are there any plans to start doing it actually in designated place at the test centre, instead of on busy roads?

MascotDec85

CiniO wrote: »

That's probably the most stupid thing you are meant to do during the test.
If I tried doing it during my normal driving, I could probably be prosecuted for dangerous driving, while on test it's a requirement.

Are there any plans to start doing it actually in designated place at the test centre, instead of on busy roads?

You are allowed to reverse from a main road into a side road. You're not allowed to reverse from a side road onto a main road.

Locations are chosen deliberately for testing. If there are any hazards around like parked cars for example the tester will choose a different location to ask the pupil to reverse around.

If done slowly, whilst carrying out the correct observations it should be perfectly safe to do.

CiniO

MascotDec85 wrote: »

You are allowed to reverse from a main road into a side road. You're not allowed to reverse from a side road onto a main road.

Locations are chosen deliberately for testing. If there are any hazards around like parked cars for example the tester will choose a different location to ask the pupil to reverse around.

If done slowly, whilst carrying out the correct observations it should be perfectly safe to do.

I've been doing the truck test last year.
I had to reverse from quite busy road into side road to which visibility was limited by trees.
So I'm having 11 metre long truck, which I have to have most of it (at least 9metres) turned into that side street before I actually have any chance to see if the street is empty and on cars coming.
Also traffic on main road, (car every 10 seconds approx) made it virtually impossible.

I thought it was the most stupid thing on the test.

MascotDec85

CiniO wrote: »

I've been doing the truck test last year.
I had to reverse from quite busy road into side road to which visibility was limited by trees.
So I'm having 11 metre long truck, which I have to have most of it (at least 9metres) turned into that side street before I actually have any chance to see if the street is empty and on cars coming.
Also traffic on main road, (car every 10 seconds approx) made it virtually impossible.

I thought it was the most stupid thing on the test.

What you need to realise and be able to demonstrate is that whilst driving your truck in the future you may have to manouveure it into or around tight spaces/obstacles with limited observations, maybe into a loading bay with other trucks (trees) etc around you. You won't always have a prefect view.

CiniO

MascotDec85 wrote: »

What you need to realise and be able to demonstrate is that whilst driving your truck in the future you may have to manouveure it into or around tight spaces/obstacles with limited observations, maybe into a loading bay with other trucks (trees) etc around you. You won't always have a prefect view.

To be honest, I would never reverse into place like I had to reverse during the test.

J_R

CiniO wrote: »

That's probably the most stupid thing you are meant to do during the test.
If I tried doing it during my normal driving, I could probably be prosecuted for dangerous driving, while on test it's a requirement.

Are there any plans to start doing it actually in designated place at the test centre, instead of on busy roads?

Hi,

It is only a manoeuvre to check that you are capable of reversing into a limited opening such as a driveway. The test must be conducted on public roads so all manoeuvres must be completed on the roads. Maybe one day they will have a designated area where they can do the reverse and the turnabout away from traffic. (Same as the coupling/uncoupling for artics)

And when reversing on the right you are moving in the same direction as the other traffic so technically it should be much safer. No traffic approaching from the rear.

Only have the extra problem of crossing the road before and after the manoeuvre.